In an effort to shuffle and kick-start their lineup, the Cardinals recently purchased the contract of 22-year-old second baseman Kolten Wong from Triple-A Memphis. Wong, who ranked no. 34 on Baseball Prospectus’ mid-season top 50 prospects list, figures to slot in as the club’s primary second baseman against right-handed pitching. As a result, All-Star two-bagger Matt Carpenter has slid over to third base, with the scuffling David Freese moving to the bench.

Wong may ultimately see some action against left-handed pitching, though he wasn’t in the lineup against southpaw Travis Wood on Saturday. While the lefty swinging prospect hit .289 against his fellow southpaws in Triple-A this season, he did so with little punch (.383 SLG). On the other hand, Wong posted a robust .310/.386/.504 slash line against Triple-A right-handers.

An unconventional source of power was credited with Mickey Tettleton's surprising 1989 campaign.

There weren't many expectations for the 1989 Orioles. The year before, the club had set the bar for futility by losing the first 21 games of the season. They would end the year with a 54-107 record. In the offseason, management traded the golden gloved, silver slugging first baseman and perennial MVP candidate Eddie Murray to the Dodgers for Juan Bell, Brian Holton, and Ken Howell. It was hardly a steal for Baltimore and, what's more, the club suddenly had a 30 home run-sized hole in their already weak lineup. No one expected the O's to do anything but remain in the cellar for another year.

Then Mickey Tettleton came to the plate. Tettleton, a catcher, came up with the A's in 1984 at the age of 23. For four years, he acted as a serviceable backup, appearing in roughly half of Oakland's games. In 1986, he played in a then-career high 90 games, knocking out 10 home runs in 211 at-bats (to go along with his .204 batting average). Following Terry Steinbach's breakthrough 1987, Tettleton was cut from the team in spring training. He quickly signed on with Baltimore, where he took on a very similar role for the (dubious) record-setting club. He ended that memorable 1988 season with 11 home runs and a .261 average in 286 at-bats.

MIGGY TAKES HOME TRIPLE CROWN“All I could think of then was ‘Wow, I really did it.’ It’s just unbelievable. That’s the only thing that I could say. It was great that I could share it with my teammates.”
—Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who won the first triple crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 after hitting .330 with 44 home runs and 139 RBI. (Drew Sharp, DetroitFreePress)

What do MLB front office types think of the Trout-or-Cabrera MVP debate?

Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera? It’s the bacon-or-cheese argument of the 2012 major league season, a decision that is weighted in preference rather than a universally recognized consensus. Both players have historic cases to make, just as the fatty pig meat and the pressed curds of milk are each historic in their deliciousness. On one hand, you have a rookie sensation whose electricity could power Paris, a player with an unprecedented debut campaign that draws comparisons to a young Mickey Mantle, only better, which isn’t exactly normal. This generational performance just happens to share a space with another generational performance, a statistical feat of such lore and reverence that the mere hunt and proximity to such an accomplishment is worthy of high praise and metallic hardware. Miguel Cabrera is the most feared hitter in the game, and when the dust settled on the 2012 season, his out-of-fashion slash line made him the winner of the Triple Crown, the first of its kind in the American League since 1967, which isn’t exactly normal either.

My head swims when I read about the absolutes of the game, my thoughts beaten down by the weight of the value argument, the binary answer to a question without a clear path to certainty. We all approach the game with different eyes, forming conclusions based on explosive mixtures of subjectivity and concrete data. Without a perfect recipe for value, we each make our own cocktails that are heavily rooted in our own experiences, be they on the field or on the computer screen. I’m not here to present one side of the argument over the other, or to paint one side of the fence a color that will instigate condemnation from a disapproving majority; the baseball industry doesn’t wear one suit, and when I polled ten contacts to get their take on the Trout/Cabrera debate, the answers were as diverse as the job titles next to their name. From the top of the industry food chain to the bottom, I asked a simple question of value, which yielded a surprisingly close vote.

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DOTEL BEMOANS TIGERS’ LACK OF ENTHUSIASM“We believe we have the players and talent, but I think we should be more pumped up. I haven't seen that yet. Maybe I'm wrong. But it's what I see. Like I said, we believe, but I need to see one more little thing. I hope I see that in the next 10 days. There's time.”
—Tigers reliever Octavio Dotel, discontented with the level of energy he’s seeing in the clubhouse as Detroit battles for a playoff spot. (Tom Gage, DetroitNews)

NATIONALS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT“It was one of those feelings you’ve never had before. I had no idea what to do. I haven’t won anything since friggin’ Little League.”—Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Washington’s playoff berth. (Amanda Comak, TheWashingtonTimes)

BOBBY V WITH ANOTHER GEM“This is the weakest roster we've ever had in September in the history of baseball. It could use help everywhere.”
—Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine on the state of his team, which was recently decimated by a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Ian Harrison, ESPNBoston.com)

IN THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE BOBBY V SAGA...“What an embarrassing thing to say. If I was there, I’d punch you right in the mouth. How’s that sound? Sound like I checked out? What an embarrassing thing. That’s something that a comic strip person would write.”
—Perpetually beleaguered Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, responding to a question from Glenn Ordway of WEEI radio, who suggested that Boston’s skipper may have “checked out.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS ACQUIRE BOSTON RED SOX (PLAYERS)“I haven't found [a spending cap] yet, but I'll let you know if we get there. We really do evaluate those things secondarily. We think the most important thing is building a team.”—Dodgers president and part-owner Stan Kasten on opening up the wallets to acquire the Red Sox’ three highest-paid players, in a nine-player deal that saw over $250 million in contracts change hands. (Alex Angert, MLB.com)

BOBBY CLEARLY NOT THEIR VALENTINE“What Tom, Larry, and I heard in the player meeting was one overriding sentiment. Players felt responsible for the record. They weren't blaming injuries or anyone but themselves. At the same time, they openly spoke about what could improve in addition to their play. They made substantive points. We addressed those points. No one in that meeting, at any time, took the position that Bobby should be or needed to be replaced.”
—Red Sox owner John Henry, responding to a story from Yahoo which alleged that a host of disgruntled Boston players “blasted” manager Bobby Valentine in a secret meeting with team ownership back in July. (Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe)

NITKOWSKI EYEING BIG-LEAGUE RETURN“The goal for me when I came [to Binghamton] was to test the sidearm out and see what kind of reaction I would get from the hitters, and the things that I needed to see were swings and misses from lefties and ground balls from righties, and so far that's happening.”
—PitcherC.J. Nitkowski, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, is attempting a big-league comeback with the Mets at age 39. (Andrew Simon, MLB.com)

REDS ON A ROLL“It's like a playoff atmosphere in here almost every day.”
—Reds manager Dusty Baker on his team's recent string of success. On Saturday, the Reds won their 22nd game out of their last 25, the franchise's best streak since the 1890s. (Mark Clements, MLB.com)